📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Ralf Roletschek
Agriculture
Andhra Pradesh agriculture faces crisis as rainfall deficit hits 52%
✍️ The Times of India
🗓 24 Aug 2026, 03:31 AM
👁 3
A severe rainfall shortfall of 52% has pushed Andhra Pradesh’s farming sector into crisis, prompting farmers to demand urgent relief.
The state’s agricultural department reported that the monsoon rainfall this season fell 52% short of the long‑term average, leaving large swathes of farmland without adequate water. The deficit has been described as the most severe in recent years, affecting both kharif and rabi cropping cycles.
Farmers across the coastal and interior districts are reporting delayed sowing, stunted crop growth and a sharp decline in expected yields. With water tables receding and irrigation reservoirs at critically low levels, many cultivators fear that the shortfall could translate into substantial income loss and heightened indebtedness.
State officials have acknowledged the emergency, stating that relief measures such as increased credit, subsidised diesel for pumps and expedited release of drought‑relief funds are being prepared. Farmer unions, however, have called for immediate assistance, warning that prolonged water scarcity could exacerbate rural distress.
The agriculture ministry is monitoring the situation closely and is expected to coordinate with central agencies to mobilise additional support if the deficit persists into the later stages of the season.
Farmers across the coastal and interior districts are reporting delayed sowing, stunted crop growth and a sharp decline in expected yields. With water tables receding and irrigation reservoirs at critically low levels, many cultivators fear that the shortfall could translate into substantial income loss and heightened indebtedness.
State officials have acknowledged the emergency, stating that relief measures such as increased credit, subsidised diesel for pumps and expedited release of drought‑relief funds are being prepared. Farmer unions, however, have called for immediate assistance, warning that prolonged water scarcity could exacerbate rural distress.
The agriculture ministry is monitoring the situation closely and is expected to coordinate with central agencies to mobilise additional support if the deficit persists into the later stages of the season.